The Proposal
by spaztronaut
Summary: When Felicity Smoak finds herself in a bind, she enlists the help of her assistant Oliver Dearden to help her keep her from being deported and losing her job. The problem is, in order to do so, they kind of have to get married...
1. Chapter 1

Felicity Smoak ignored the burning of her muscles, pushing herself harder as early morning sun began to bathe the living room in its pinkish-yellow glow. The mechanical sounds of the elliptical created a harsh juxtaposition to the sunrise outside the floor to ceiling windows of her apartment. She hated cardio, but it was a moment of peace at the start of what would no doubt be a very busy day. A moment to herself.

Felicity wasn't the type of woman who got many moments to herself. She took what she could get, but, honestly, she liked it that way. She was career-oriented and rarely had time for anything—or anyone—outside of work.

Her mother had never understood.

"That's all you do is work," she'd argue. "Work, work, work, work, work, work, work."

But that's just who Felicity was. It's who she'd always been. Since college, since... Cooper. She'd turned to work to keep her busy and, well it made her happy, she enjoyed it. Why wouldn't she? Work was a constant, it was always there for her, unlike many of the people in her life. And Felicity was good at it. Her recent promotion to Vice President of Palmer Tech had won her a spot on a 30 under 30 list. She was a well respected genius in her field who was currently dominating a very testosterone rich environment and she was happy.

Felicity quickly finished up on the elliptical and headed for the shower. She had plenty of time before work, but she wanted to get there early. Today was an important day, and she was, after all, a busy woman.

###

She'd no sooner stepped off the elevator onto the executive floor, than her assistant was handing her a cup of coffee. It was a to-go cup from her favorite coffee shop and she took a long sip before reaching for the files he was holding.

"Are these the reports from R&D?" she asked, heels rapping on the tile as she moved quickly towards her office.

Oliver pulled the door open for her, following her inside. "Yes. And the latest Gideon update—the one you asked for—is on top."

Felicity nodded, dropping the folders onto her desk and taking another sip of coffee. She placed it on the desk, followed by her bag. The folders from last night's paperwork joined today's folders on her desk, then she pulled out her tablet and sat down to get to work. That's when she noticed a loopy, flowing script on the side of her coffee cup. She picked it up, looking at the message.

"Who is Carrie Cutter and why does she want me to call her?" she asked, glancing up at her assistant.

Oliver actually blushed. "Sorry," he said ducking his head. "She must have thought that one was mine."

"Would you like me to save it for you?" she asked, with a teasing smile.

"No. Thank you," he laughed with a roll of his eyes.

He always did that when women hit on him. And they hit on him a lot. Whether they were out to lunch or in the middle of a meeting, women—some single, some not so single—always found an opportunity to flirt with her assistant. Felicity had gotten used to it by now. The man was gorgeous. She couldn't exactly blame them.

"Did you call Kord's assistant? Whatshername? The one with the... you know, the ugly hands?" Felicity asked, sorting the paperwork she'd gotten done last night into a pile for Oliver to take.

"Taiana," Oliver said. "Yes, I called her. Kord is coming in at 1:30pm and I've got lunch from the food truck you like being delivered. Also your immigration lawyer called, he said he really needs you to—"

"I'll get back to him," Felicity dismissed, already pulling up her notes for the Kord meeting on her tablet. "I added a few points I'd like included in the presentation. I sent them to you last night, so please make sure they're in there. We need this meeting to go well."

"I know and it will. And when it does..." Oliver drawled, circling her desk to pick up the stack of folders that now needed filing, "will you look into Curtis Holt's powercell project again?"

"Oliver," she sighed. He was a good assistant and she considered him her friend, but his obsession with Curtis's side project, a battery that could theoretically store enough energy to power an entire city block for five years, was testing her patience. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea—she thought it was incredible—but it was a high risk project that the company just didn't have the money to fund at the moment. "You know I can't just okay a project like that. It's expensive and time consuming. Curtis is working on other things..."

"Ms. Smoak, the benefits of something like that... Have you even read his proposal, really read it?" He turned to a small filing cabinet behind her desk and began to open it.

"Oliver," she snapped. She didn't have time for this. Not today. "Benefits or not, the answer is no. Maybe in the future, but not right now."

It was like he deflated, his shoulders slumping, and he shook his head. "Fine. Do you need anything else, Ms. Smoak?"

With a shake of her head, she looked away as Oliver turned to leave. She felt awful about always turning down his ideas. Since he'd started working for her she'd realized that Oliver wasn't just an assistant. She honestly didn't know how he'd even gotten that job.

Oliver Dearden seemed to be better suited for the board room than his small office in the cubicle outside of her's. He was charismatic and charming, a hard worker who loved big ideas. He was always pulling projects he thought would benefit not only the company, but the world. Unfortunately, most of Oliver's projects—like Curtis' powercell—required money and attention the company just couldn't spare right now.

Maybe if they got this joint venture with Kord locked down...

Felicity shook her head. She couldn't make promises to Oliver, even in her own head. She was the Vice President of a struggling company. She had to be realistic, and with their budget… They were just lucky they weren't at the point where layoffs were necessary.

After an hour and a half of reading over project proposals, most of which would never see the light of day, she decided to head down to Barry's lab to see where he, Caitlin and Cisco were at on their Gideon interface. It was a huge aspect of this Kord project, and the more she knew about its status the better.

Just as she was getting up Oliver's voice rang through her intercom.

"Ms. Smoak, Mr. Palmer would like to see you in the conference room in ten minutes."

"Of course," she said, taking a moment to gather all of her notes for the Kord meeting. She assumed Ray wanted to meet to go over all of the last minute details. This meeting was only the first of many, but it was important it all go according to plan.

When she stepped out of her office Oliver was on the phone, so she gave him a brief smile before turning to leave.

"I'll try, Thea," he sighed. "It's the best I can do. Fine. Bye." She heard him stand up and start to follow her. "Ms. Smoak?"

"Yes, Oliver?" she said, turning to see him matching her pace as they headed for the conference room.

"It's my sister's birthday this weekend."

"This weekend?" she asked, coming to a stop. "No! Not this weekend."

"Well," Oliver deadpanned, "I can't exactly stop her birthday from being this weekend."

"Oliver, no. This meeting with Kord is preliminary. We're going to be working all weekend to have everything sorted out for the meeting with the board next week. You know that."

"I do," Oliver said, "but it's also my sister's twentieth birthday. Let me take Friday afternoon and Saturday and I'll be back Sunday to—"

"No!" Felicity said again, starting to panic. "Oliver, I need you on this. You know I don't trust anyone else."

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment and when he glanced back at her it was with annoyance. "Why can't Palmer help you? It's his company."

Felicity scowled. "Ray is helping. He'll be here all weekend, too."

"Oh, so what? I'm just here to fetch you two things while you awkwardly flirt with one another?" Oliver grumbled.

"That is _so_ not what is happening," Felicity said. "Ray and I do not—"

"Don't finish that sentence if it's going to be a lie," Oliver said, raising one hand in front of him. "And it's fine. I'll just disappoint my sister on her birthday. No big deal." He shrugged. "At least it gets me out of seeing my parents."

"There you go. There's always a silver lining. Besides you can make it up to her after this deal is done." Felicity smiled thinly, ignoring his tone and trying not to feel too bad about forcing him to work.

She needed him, it was for the good of the company. With his help, this joint venture might go smoothly, and if it did it could mean saving a lot of jobs in the long run. Oliver missing one birthday wasn't that big a sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

They stopped in front of the conference room doors. Felicity did a mental check of the rest of her afternoon and said, "I don't know how long this will take, but let me know if it's getting close to 1:00pm or if anything major happens or—"

"Felicity," Oliver said, a small smile tugging at his lips. He almost never called her by her first name, and Felicity found herself wishing that he would. "We've got this. Go study up with Palmer and then you two can wow Kord this afternoon."

Felicity gave him a quick smile, which he returned with a wink, before she pushed through the conference room doors.


	2. Chapter 2

The doors were glass, but they were frosted up to a foot over her head, which was the only reason she was so startled to see the entire board of investors sitting around the conference table when she walked into the room.

"Oh!" she muttered, suddenly feeling less confident than she had a moment ago, standing out in the hall with Oliver. "I didn't know it was going to be everyone," she said quietly to Ray, who was leaning against the table, instead of sitting like everyone else.

The only other person in the room standing was Mr. Dennis, whose no nonsense, bottomline attitude had always intimidated Felicity. She was determined not to be intimidated by him today. If she could handle Mr. Dennis, she told herself, then she could handle Ted Kord.

"I have all of my notes for the Kord meeting, but I didn't know everyone would be here today," she said politely. "I can call my assistant and have him go make copies..."

"This is actually," Ray said, shifting uncomfortably where he was half seated on the edge of the conference table, "...it's actually about something else, Felicity."

"You're being deported," Mr. Dennis cut in, bluntly.

Felicity had always prided herself on working well under pressure. She could roll with the punches and still get the job done. She was always ready for the unexpected. But this...

"That's impossible," Felicity said with a shake of her head. She huffed a small, incredulous laugh and looked at Ray. "I'm from Canada."

Ray opened his mouth, looking apologetic, but Mr. Dennis was already speaking again.

"Ms. Smoak," he started, gruffly, "I'm afraid this is a serious matter. We were contacted by your immigration attorney this morning."

Felicity stared at him for a moment, before turning back to Ray, who was still leaning casually against the conference table, though he looked tense.

"Do you remember we agreed you wouldn't go to the Moscow Technology Expo because you weren't allowed out of the country while your visa application was being processed?" Ray asked.

"Yes," Felicity nodded.

"But you went anyway," Mr. Dennis added.

"I had to. Or else we were going to lose Kord to Wayne Enterprises. We had one shot to convince him we were the right company to do business with. And it worked," she said, trying not to sound defensive. "He'll be here at one."

"And we appreciate it, Felicity," Ray assured her. "But because you left the country your visa application was denied."

"Denied?"

"Yes, denied, Ms. Smoak," Dennis said. "And you are being deported because of it."

"We can reapply," Ray explained quickly, trying to reassure her. She could only imagine the look of sheer panic on her face. "But you'll have to go back to Canada for at least a year."

A year? Felicity was sure her mouth had dropped open, but she collected herself quickly.

"Okay," she nodded, already working out a plan. This was an inconvenience, sure, but not the end of the world. "I'll... I'll go back to Canada and work remotely until I get this all sorted out. Not a big deal."

"I'm sorry, Felicity," Ray said, his big brown eyes wide and sincerely apologetic. "I already tried that. Apparently, it's a legal matter. If you go back to Canada, you can't remain Vice President of Palmer Technologies."

"I've already spoken to Isabel Rochev and she's more than willing to fill the position if it comes to that," Dennis told Ray.

"What?!" Felicity yelped. "No! No, no, no. Not Isabel. No, this is going to be fine. I'll figure it out."

"Ms. Smoak, we would like to believe you..." Dennis began.

"Do you have a plan to stay in the country?" Ray asked, eyebrows raising hopefully.

No, she did not.

Felicity had lived in the United States for so long she'd forgotten she wasn't technically a citizen. Maybe she could hack something to make it seem like she had more time... No. If anyone found out she'd messed with a government database, she'd suffer a far worse fate than just Canada.

Or maybe not, Felicity thought as she remembered that her mother still lived in Canada.

Three quick knocks on the door pulled her from thinking further about her mother and what all of _that_ would entail, thankfully.

"Ms. Smoak," Oliver said, poking his head in through the glass door. "Sorry to interrupt, but Ted Kord called. He wanted to speak to you about the meeting and to move it up to 12:30pm. I told him you were otherwise engaged, but he insisted..."

It was like the word jumped out of his mouth and slapped her across the face. Oliver Dearden, her assistant—her perfectly handsome, perfectly _single_ assistant—was standing right there saying words like 'engaged'. Felicity didn't know what went through her mind next, just that all of a sudden words were coming out of her mouth and she couldn't stop them.

"Does marriage count?" she said quickly, turning away from Oliver to look at the rest of the board members. "As a way to stay in the country? I seem to remember that marriage counts. You know, according to cheesy tv shows and movies..." she muttered that last part to herself, before straightening her spine and smiling. "Because I'm engaged, if that makes any difference."

"Engaged?" Ray asked slowly, and she ignored the way his face fell just a little at the news. Even more, she ignored the way Oliver quietly echoed Ray's question from the doorway.

"If you're engaged that does change things," Mrs. Werner, another board member, piped in.

"Yes," Mr. Dennis agreed. "You'll have to get married soon in order to stay, but that should settle things with immigration."

"Oh, that's fine." Felicity hoped her smile didn't look as forced as it felt, but she kept it up as she spun towards Oliver, dragging him into the room. The giant of a man allowed it, but looked at her like she was crazy. "Oliver and I weren't planning anything extravagant, anyway. Just a simple ceremony. But we can go down to city hall if that clears things up faster."

"What?" Oliver hissed, pulling away from her.

"You're marrying your assistant?" Ray looked truly stunned by this information, and Felicity didn't blame him. Despite repudiating Oliver's claims earlier, she and Ray had been flirting for some time now. Never anything serious, but the potential was there.

The board was oddly silent, taking in the scene before them. Mr. Dennis just raised an eyebrow in her direction, clearly not caring as long as the company's bottom line wasn't affected.

"Yes," Felicity laughed nervously, latching onto Oliver's arm and squeezing her fingernails into his skin, silently telling him to just roll with it. "Mhmm. It wouldn't be the first time one of us fell for our assistants, would it?"

At least three members of the board had had affairs that Felicity was aware of. If they wanted to judge her, so be it. Even if she really had been seeing Oliver it was nothing to be ashamed of. They were both single and consenting. Or... well, they would be if they were actually in a relationship. Because, right now, Oliver didn't seem very consenting.

He tried to pull away from her again, but Felicity refused to even look at him. She dug her nails in harder until he hissed a breath and stopped struggling.

"But," she continued, "we fell in love and he proposed. We were hoping for a winter wedding, but now is fine. We'll get everything taken care of as soon as possible. Does that work for you, hon?"

When Felicity finally glanced up at Oliver he looked dumbfounded, but he nodded along.

Mr. Dennis looked like he had maybe _thought_ about smiling—once—so she figured he was happy with her proposal. A string of congratulations met her as the board members filed out of the conference room. Ray, however, looked disappointed.

"Congratulations, Felicity," he said, giving her a small, sad smile. Then he held out his hand to Oliver, his smile turning bright and genuine. "Congratulations. You're a lucky man, Mr. Dearden. Oh. Will you be Felicity Dearden from now on? Because that will take some getting used to," Ray said, crinkling his brows. "We'll have to change all the business cards..."

With that he left the room, shaking his head and still muttering to himself. Letting out a relieved sigh, Felicity sagged against her assistant-slash-fiancé.

"Are you sure you and Palmer aren't related?" Oliver asked, still standing beside her, her hand gripping his bicep. His very large, firm bicep. Which she wasn't thinking about.

She glared, digging her nails in a little harder and he finally pulled out of her grasp.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, looking around the room like maybe there was a hidden camera recording them and this was all a joke. She wished...

"I was being deported," she explained quickly, "but now we're getting married and everything's fine. Let's go, we need to go see immigration and get this all settled."

She moved quickly for the door, ignoring Oliver calling to her. He caught up in the elevator, but didn't say anything once a woman who worked in accounting stepped in beside him. The woman smiled and eyed him all the way down to the lobby, but Oliver didn't seem to notice. He was too busy gritting his teeth and scowling at Felicity's reflection in the shiny polished steel of the elevator doors.

Once the elevator let off on the ground floor, Felicity grabbed Oliver's arm and tugged him through the main entrance and out onto the street.

"Felicity!" Oliver growled, once they were an adequate distance from the Palmer Tech building. She had to appreciate that he'd held out this long. If the shoe was on the other foot she would have already killed him with it. "What the hell just happened?"

Felicity always startled when her first name came out of his mouth. He seemed to think it was more professional to call her Ms. Smoak, which she appreciated since she was young and, at times, didn't get a whole lot of respect from the men she worked with. But, whenever he did call her by her first name, she couldn't help but enjoy it. Especially in that growly tone she'd never heard him use before.

"I need a favor," she said, ignoring the tone—and her wayward thoughts—and tugging him out of the way of foot traffic.

"Marriage is not a favor, Felicity."

Felicity was ignoring the growly voice. She was. She was also ignoring the drawn out way Oliver apparently liked to say her name. Neither were things she had time to focus on at the moment.

"It's not a big deal," she promised. "We'll only be married on paper and after a year or so we'll get a divorce. We'll probably have to live together, but it'll be fun. Not," she added, her eyes wide as she realized what she'd just implied, "not fun, like, _fun_. Like, having a roommate fun. A totally platonic roommate."

Oliver scowled, huffing out an angry breath and ignoring her innuendo, thank god.

"I'm not living with you, because I'm not marrying you, Felicity," he said.

"Come on, Oliver!" she pouted. "Having a roommate can be fun. Didn't you have a roommate in college?"

"I dropped out of college," Oliver told her. "Four times."

Felicity blinked at him, then shook her head. "I've seen your résumé, you graduated from Central City University."

"Fifth time's a charm," he grumbled, glancing at a couple of women with shopping bags who were sending him appreciative looks.

"Whatever," Felicity said, shaking that piece of information off for the moment. "You can still do... whatever it is you do. I won't interfere. This marriage thing will be fun, I swear."

"You keep saying that," Oliver said dryly, "but I don't think you have a good grasp on what that word means."

"Are you saying I'm not fun?" she asked, leveling him with a scowl. "I am very fun. Last night, Caitlin and I—"

"Oh, Caitlin," Oliver laughed, condescendingly. "Well, if Caitlin was there it must have been a hell of a time. Did you guys throw a rager in the lab? Were there microscopes involved?"

The ass actually waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Don't be a dick, Oliver. Caitlin and I went out last night and we had fun. A lot of fun. We even did karaoke."

Oliver's eyes widened, looking—for the first time since their impromptu engagement—utterly delighted. His lips parted into a mocking grin, but Felicity cut him off before he could say something that would make her want to fire him.

"No, no one recorded it. And no, I don't care that karaoke is dumb. I had fun. Caitlin had fun. End of story." Felicity huffed. "My point is—"

"That you can have fun," Oliver muttered. "Fine. I believe you. I'm still not going along with this plan."

He turned and began walking away, back to the office. Felicity quickly raced after him, teetering just a little on her high heels. Damn her love of pretty, but impractical shoes. She blamed her mother.

"Oh, yes you are!" she demanded, reaching for his arm, partly to stop him and partly to keep herself from tripping. "I have never asked you for anything."

Oliver stopped the moment she touched him and turned back to face her, an incredulous look on his stupidly beautiful face.

Did she mention that Oliver Dearden was stupidly beautiful? A giant, muscled sex-on-a-stick type of beautiful. It was actually kind of unfair how good looking he was.

"You ask me to get you coffee from Jitters how many times a day?" he asked, his voice pitched high in annoyance. "And, regardless of that, asking someone to _marry_ you is not quite the same as asking them for a coffee or them getting you lunch because you're so lost in a project you forgot to eat."

"Oh," Felicity groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "It's just marriage. What are you, saving it for someone? It's not a big deal, Oliver!"

He took a deep breath, shooting her an annoyed glance, and then pointed a finger in her direction. "No."

"I'll push your project forward!" she called desperately as he turned to walk away from her again.

Oliver stopped dead in his tracks, but didn't turn around. "I'm listening," he said, turning his head just slightly, and Felicity knew she had him.

"You've been bugging me for almost four months to make Curtis Holt's powercell project a priority. And I have no idea why." Felicity shrugged, mostly to herself. "I mean, in theory, yes, it's a great idea. But—"

"We've been over this," Oliver growled, turning back to her. "You don't think it's feasible, and it doesn't generate as much money for the company as Palmer's smart wearable crap he's been peddling."

"That 'crap'," Felicity glared, "has been paying your paycheck. And it's not like we dismissed Curtis' idea completely. He's been working on a more practical version for the watches."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Because Palmer said so."

"No!" Felicity argued. "Ray and I are a team—"

Oliver rolled his eyes again and Felicity felt like smacking him.

"You know what?" she said. "It doesn't matter. Do this one thing for me and I'll make sure Curtis gets funding for whatever he needs."

Oliver watched her for a minute. Silently taking her in, weighing her offer.

"Why didn't you ask Palmer to do it?" he asked eventually. "You two are practically joined at the hip. Or even Barry? He follows you around like a damn puppy."

"Because I freaked out." Felicity sighed. "The board wanted a solution and you walked into the room and... I don't know. I just said it." She took a step forward, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. Those always worked when she was begging for her sixth cup of coffee of the day. "I'm sorry. I know this is a lot to ask, but I need you right now, Oliver."

"When women say that to me, they don't usually mean it platonically," he said, lips tugging up in a small smile.

"I can imagine," Felicity said distractedly, gaze still fixed on his lips. Lips that suddenly pulled to one side in a smug smirk, before she realized what she'd said. Her eyes shot to his amused ones. "I said not imagine, right?"

Oliver's smile only grew.

"Fine," he said, finally. "I'll do it. It's only for a little while. It can't be that bad."

"Gee, thanks," Felicity deadpanned. "I'm sure being married to you will be a pleasure, as well."

Oliver's smirk returned full force, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. "Oh, I've been told I'm excellent at the pleasure part of relationships."

Then he walked away, leaving her standing in the middle of the sidewalk, people streaming past on either side, feeling slightly dazed by his smile.

Had Felicity ever noticed how blinding Oliver's smile could be? Talk about harnessing clean energy. You could power the entire city with the wattage of that smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver held the door open for her as they entered the Central City Offices of Immigration.

They quietly filled out some paperwork and then waited for their number to be called. The office was bustling around them, and Oliver was sitting beside her, but Felicity couldn't help feeling nervous and alone.

She desperately did not want to get kicked out of the country. Isabel Rochev was already gunning for her job, the job Felicity had worked damn hard to get. She didn't really want to marry Oliver Dearden, but the lesser of two evils and all that. She was also starting to realize she didn't want to lie to the government, either.

It wasn't something she'd thought much about when she'd told the board her plan, but now she was so sure that everyone in the room could see right through her. They could see that she was lying, that she was defrauding the government. She was going to go to jail. Or get deported. Or both.

Suddenly a warm hand grasped hers and she looked up to see Oliver's eyes fixed straight ahead. When she followed his gaze she saw a short, dark haired man walking towards them, a congenial smile on his face.

"Ms. Smoak," the man greeted, a sharp look in his eye despite the smile. Or maybe that was just Felicity's paranoia kicking in. "Mr. Dearden. I'm Arthur Davis. How are you both today?"

"We're good," Felicity said, forcing a smile of her own even though she felt a little nauseous all of a sudden. "Just in a little bit of a hurry to get all of this sorted out."

"Of course." Davis smiled again and, for a split second, Felicity felt like maybe everything was going to be alright. "We just have a few... questions about your paperwork."

And just like that Felicity was back to feeling nauseous.

Oliver stood beside her, cupping her elbow and helping her to her feet. "I don't know how many times I told her she needed to call her immigration lawyer and get all of this settled," he laughed, sounding totally casual. Like Felicity really was his fiancé and he was just teasing her about not listening to him.

Technically, it wasn't even a lie. He'd told her multiple times that she needed to call her lawyer back, but, in her defense, she'd had a lot going on recently.

Davis huffed a short laugh that, by the sound of it, basically meant, "Huh. Women." It took everything in Felicity not to scowl at him, but pissing off the guy in charge of her future would not be a good idea. At all.

"I'm sure you both understand how... odd this all looks from the outside," Davis explained, waving them into what was barely more than a glorified cubicle of an office. Oliver's was bigger, and no. _Just no, Felicity, why do you think these things?_  
she thought, shaking her head.

"I can assure you, we do," Oliver said, pulling out a chair for Felicity to sit in. "I wanted to handle all of this months ago when we got engaged, but with work and everything—"

"Yes," Davis said, glancing between the two of them. "You work together at" —he looked down at the paperwork they'd filled out— "Palmer Technologies, is that right? You're the Vice President, Ms. Smoak. Very impressive at such a young age."

It was his condescending tone that finally killed the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

"Yes, I've worked very hard to get where I am." She softened the hard edge of her voice as she added, "That's why I'd like for us to sort this all out. I'd hate for my job— _our_ job" —she gestured at Oliver— "to be affected because I forgot to fill out some paperwork."

"Of course," Davis said dismissively, face already buried in the paperwork. "When did you two get engaged?"

"Uh, six months ago," Felicity replied, pointing towards the papers in his hand.

"And how did you propose?" he asked Oliver.

Oliver hesitated, just the slightest moment, before he sat up straighter in his chair. "It was down by the water. We went for a walk and I just..." He smiled, but Felicity could see how strained the muscles in his jaw were. "I just couldn't not be engaged to her for one more second."

His hand clasped Felicity's for emphasis and she squeezed back, hard, shooting him a look she hoped said, "Cool it."

"Down by the water," Davis repeated. "In... March?"

"It was a nice night," Oliver quickly assured, then forced out a little laugh to keep things casual. "The weather here in Central City is always nice compared to Starling."

Davis finally glanced up from the stack of paperwork. "Yes, you're originally from Starling City. Gave up a lot to become a glorified secretary, didn't you?"

Oliver froze at the question, his jaw muscles twitching as he glared at the other man. Sure, Davis seemed like kind of a dick and was clearly trying to trip them up, but Felicity wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish with this line of questioning. What did Oliver moving from Starling City and becoming her assistant have to do with her immigration status? She squeezed his hand, hoping to pull him back into the moment before he said anything they'd regret, like the few choice insults Felicity was considering in her own head.

"Not really," Oliver said, reaching over and covering her hand on his with his other. "Moving here and finding a job at Palmer Tech is the reason I met Felicity. Best decision I ever made."

Felicity wanted to roll her eyes at the cheesiness of that line and the saccharine way Oliver had delivered it, but present company made that impossible.

Davis hummed, giving Oliver a less than sincere smile. "And what do your parents think of your relationship?"

Oliver tensed again, his fingers spasming against hers, but he smiled right back. "Felicity's mother is all for it. Donna's always liked me."

It took everything in her not to startle at the fact that Oliver called her mother by her first name, but she managed. "Yup, my mom is all about me getting married. She always has been, though. I'm surprised she didn't try to sell me off in exchange for a goat or something as soon as I hit eighteen." Felicity's gaped at her own words. "Not that she would have! I joke, but my mother's not so bad. At times. She can be a lot to handle—"

"Felicity, honey," Oliver said, his fingers now digging into her palm. "I'm sure Mr. Davis has other questions for us."

"I certainly do. How do you get along with Oliver's parents, Ms. Smoak?" Davis narrowed his eyes. "Or should I call you the future Mrs. Queen?"

Felicity felt her eyebrows twitch in confusion, but tried to school them back into a neutral expression. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

Davis didn't seem swayed by her attempt. "You do know the man you're marrying's name isn't Dearden, don't you? It's Queen."

Felicity bit the inside of her cheek to keep from gaping at him. "Of course," she said lightly. Her smile was a few seconds late, but she was proud of herself for managing one anyway. "It's just that Oliver prefers Dearden."

She glanced over at the man beside her for confirmation.

"Yes," he said, looking like he'd just bit into a lemon. "It's my mother's maiden name. I prefer it."

Davis just hummed, staring between them like he was playing a chess match while Felicity and Oliver thought they'd been playing checkers.

"But you have met Oliver's family, haven't you Ms. Smoak?" he asked, leaning over his desk a little.

"I... um..." Felicity stuttered. She could kick herself—and Oliver while she was at it—for letting Davis catch her so off guard. Oliver's last name wasn't Dearden? What did that even mean?

"I don't speak to my family much," Oliver broke in, saving Felicity from blowing the whole shebang. "I've purposefully kept them separate from my relationship with Felicity. I'm sure you can understand why."

Oliver was tense and uncomfortable, but his hand was still squeezing hers where it rested on her leg. Davis just stared them down, taking in their expressions and the way they were holding on to each other.

"I'm not sure that I do, but I'm sure there's an interesting story there," Davis said eventually.

"Not really," Oliver said, his voice pitched low, then started to stand up. "If we're done here, we have an important meeting today..."

"Sure, sure," Davis said with another too amiable smile. "Just one more question though..." He paused, probably for dramatic effect, Felicity suspected as he turned to her. "Do you have plans to meet his family, Ms. Smoak?"

"Yes, actually," she said, while Oliver helped her to her feet. "This weekend. For his sister's twentieth birthday."

"Ah," Davis said, narrowing his eyes slightly at the response. "I'm sure it will be… fun. I would expect nothing less from a Queen."

Oliver scowled, but took Felicity's hand.

"We're very excited," she smiled. "We're planning on telling his family about our engagement this weekend. We do actually have a lot to take care of still, so if you don't mind..."

Davis gestured towards the door. "Not at all. Have fun. I'll be checking up on you shortly."

Something about the way he said it left the hair on the back of Felicity's neck standing up straight.

"What did he mean by that?" she asked quietly as Oliver led her from the building. He was still holding her hand, practically pulling her along with him. "And what the hell was he saying about your family? Your name isn't Dearden?"

Oliver sighed, but continued tugging her along. "No, my name isn't Dearden. It's Queen. And I don't know what he meant, but it didn't sound good." Finally he stopped, pulling her close so he could hiss, "What the hell did you get us into, Felicity?"

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "But how was I supposed to know he was going to be so suspicious?"

"Maybe because you're a genius," Oliver snarked. "And because you should have realized that suspicions would naturally arise when you start claiming you're engaged right after your visa runs out."

"Maybe it's because you weren't believable as a boyfriend," Felicity shot back, annoyed at him and at herself because, damn him, he was right. She hadn't been thinking straight and now she'd involved Oliver in something illegal.

Though, she thought, looking over at Oliver with narrowed eyes, he might already be up to something illegal.

"I was the perfect boyfriend," Oliver said, glaring at her. "I held your hand and everything. Not to mention," he added in annoyance, "that I know everything about you. He could have quizzed me if he'd wanted."

"I pay you to know things about me, Oliver," she hissed. "How I take my coffee, what I like to eat..."

"You're scared to death of kangaroos, but love pandas," he added with a smug smile. "You enjoy red wine when you're happy, but prefer tequila when you're stressed. You built your first computer when you were seven and came in second in the National Information Technology competition when you were nineteen. You're allergic to nuts. You hate mysteries." He crossed his arms. "I could keep going if you'd like."

"Well, what about you, huh?" she snapped, annoyed with his whole smug demeanor. "You know all of that about me, but you couldn't even bother to share that you're actually some sort of fugitive?!"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I'm not a fugitive, Felicity."

"Then why lie about your name?" she demanded.

"Because my parents are... well known, and I haven't always had the best relationship with them, so I wanted a fresh start." He exhaled with a small shake of his head. "I wasn't trying to purposefully deceive you or anyone else. I just wanted my anonymity and a new name was the only way to get it."

Felicity took a minute to process all of that. She could understand it, she supposed. She'd basically left Canada for the same reason. To get away from her mother and the guilt and pain that enveloped her whenever she was at home.

"So your name's Queen, huh? I'll be Felicity Queen, then? Felicity Smoak-Queen?" She laughed at the name. "Smoak-Queen. You know, even though it sounds like a super-villain name, I kinda like it."

Oliver rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. "Me, too. Make sure you let Palmer know for the business cards."

Felicity snorted a laugh, but Oliver only shook his head.

"So, we're going to my sister's birthday after all?" he asked.

"I guess we kind of have to." She shrugged. "We'll have to make sure we get everything in order tonight, so we can bring it with us this weekend."

"You're still going to make me work this weekend," he said, a look of faux consternation on his face. She knew it was fake, because Oliver knew her well enough to know they'd both be working this weekend, even if the city crumbled around them.

"You're so smart," she teased with a smile. "No wonder I'm marrying you."

"Mhmm." He scowled, but it was playful. "Fine, let's go. We can still make the Kord meeting if we hurry. I'm sure Palmer could use your help wooing him."

Now it was Felicity's turn to scowl. "Nah, they brought in Isabel."

"What?!"

"Yeah, Ray texted me while we were filling out the immigration forms. Isabel stole my meeting, but she damn sure isn't going to take my job." Felicity looked up at him with a grimace. "I still can't believe you slept with her."

"I thought we agreed what happens in Russia stays in Russia," Oliver said, looking noticeably uncomfortable.

"I do remember saying that," Felicity confirmed. She remembered that night vividly. She'd left Oliver at the hotel bar and when she'd come back from her meeting with Kord, she'd gone to his room with a bottle of wine to celebrate the deal she'd struck. She got there just in time to see Isabel leaving, a smirk planted firmly on her face as she trotted past Felicity. Felicity never understood why Isabel slept with Oliver that night. Well, aside from the GQ model reason. She'd always suspected the woman had done it simply to annoy her, but what reason could she possibly have for being annoyed over who her assistant slept with?

"Still, it is one of the grosser things you've ever done," she finished, brushing off her thoughts.

"You have no idea," Oliver muttered, glancing up at the building they were standing in front of.

"What do you mean? Did she give you an STD?" she asked, crinkling her nose. "Because STD's don't follow the _what happens in Russia_ principle, Oliver." Her eyes widened as a realization occurred to her. "And it's probably something I should know about, being your fiancée and all. Not that I'm worried about catching it, since we won't be having sex, but trivia wise it's probably pretty high up on the need-to-know list."

"It wasn't an STD," he hissed. "It was... It's not important. It's over now, and I learned my lesson."

"Don't get into bed with opportunistic witches?" Felicity singsonged.

Oliver laughed, taking hold of her shoulder and leading her towards the street to signal a cab. "Something like that, yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

"At least your family lives someplace civilized," Felicity said as the flight attendants began signaling for everyone to file off the plane. "You could have lived in Alaska or something! That's the last thing I would have needed this weekend."

They'd just touched down in Starling City and Felicity was eager to step foot on solid ground once again. She'd never been a fan of heights, and flying always left her slightly cranky.

"What's wrong with Alaska?" Oliver asked, grabbing their carry-ons from the overhead bin. He maneuvered her bright yellow suitcase carefully, avoiding the people struggling to retrieve their own luggage in the row behind him.

"Nothing's wrong with Alaska," Felicity said, moving out into the aisle when he gestured for her to go ahead of him. "Except that the reception is spotty and the wifi is practically non-existent."

Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed his puzzled look.

"The Internet exists in Alaska, Felicity," he said.

"Sure," she agreed, waving a hand dismissively, "but you could have lived in some godforsaken fishing village where all they had was a dial up connection. All I'm saying is, I'm glad you're from Starling. It's a huge tech area, so we won't have any problems this weekend."

One of the flight attendants smiled and wished them a good trip as they exited the plane. Felicity let out a relieved sigh once they reached the jetway, but her anxiety didn't lessen the way she'd thought it would. It clung to her, making her limbs feel prickly and restless. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that she was heading to her assistant's childhood home to tell his family they were getting married in just a few days time.

"Yeah, I doubt we'll be lacking for technology this weekend," Oliver said from right over her shoulder where he was tugging their suitcases along.

"Huh?" She turned to him as they broke free of the cramped bridge and into the airport.

Oliver sighed and then opened his mouth to tell her... something, clearly, but was interrupted by a loud shriek and then a tiny brunette launched herself across the terminal and into his arms.

"Ollie!" the girl cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Oliver dropped the suitcases, grabbing the girl with a surprised, "Oof!"

"Ollie, I'm so glad you're here!" the girl said, pulling back, but keeping her hands on his shoulders. "It's been so long I thought I'd never see you again!"

Oliver grinned and Felicity was once again taken aback by it. He really did have a great smile. And something about this particular smile for this particular girl made him look lighter than she'd ever seen him.

"It's only been since Christmas, Speedy," he chuckled. "You act like I've been missing for five years or something."

"It feels like it," the girl, who Felicity realized was probably Oliver's sister, grumbled. She stepped further back and Oliver bent to pick up the suitcases he'd abandoned when his sister jumped him.

"Thea, this is Felicity," he said, nodding in her direction. "Felicity, my sister Thea."

"Hi," Felicity smiled, throwing in an awkward little wave when the young woman stared at her.

"I wasn't aware you were bring a... friend, Oliver," she said, eyeing Felicity up and down in a way that made her feel very judged.

 _Well, it's now or never_ , she thought. _Might as well get the fake fiancée stuff out of the way._ _  
_ _  
_"We're not friends," she said quickly, wanting to rip the bandaid off, so to speak. "I mean, we _are_ friends, of course, we are. I just meant I'm not some flavor of the week type fling because we're... um..." For some reason, Felicity couldn't seem to get the words out. And this was just his sister! What would it be like to tell his parents or her mom, or to stand in front of everyone they knew and exchange vows? Why did she ever expect pretending to marry Oliver was going to be easy? After a moment of Thea's judgey raised eyebrows Felicity chickened out. "I'm his... uh, boss."

Thea's eyes went wide and she looked back to Oliver. "Your _boss_ Felicity? _That_ Felicity?" she asked, and Felicity could hear whatever Thea was saying between the lines. She didn't understand it, but she knew it was being said.

Oliver, for his part, looked totally unaffected by his sister. "Yes, my boss Felicity. And..."

He glanced over in her direction, looking hesitant and Felicity totally understood why. They were informing his family that they were getting married this week. That was huge! She wasn't sure if Oliver was _also_ feeling on the verge of a panic attack, but just in case she reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. She didn't think about the fact that when he squeezed back she felt her own anxiety lessen just a touch.

"She's more than just my boss," he said, his voice firm as he looked back at his sister. Thea's eyebrows flicked up, but she didn't interrupt. After a brief moment and another look at Felicity, Oliver took a breath and said, "She's my fiancée."

Thea's eyes shot wide and her mouth dropped open, but then something flickered across her face and she composed herself with a small shake of her head. Her eyes were still wide with surprise, but she didn't look like her world had just been turned upside down. In fact, Oliver's little sister looked more than a little amused at the news.

"Mom is going to kill you," she said, shaking her head slowly. She looked back at Felicity, her gaze no longer judging, but more appraising. "It's nice to meet you, Felicity. You don't look like the masochistic dictator my brother made you out to be."

Felicity's head jerked back reflexively. "I'm sorry, the what?" she asked, pinning Oliver with a glare.

Oliver was already shaking his head. "I never said that."

Thea laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

"Can we just go?" Oliver asked, looking slightly uncomfortable, which only made Felicity believe that he really had called her those things to his little sister.

"Sure thing," Thea said, turning around and gesturing for them to follow. "Car's this way."

Felicity followed after Thea, Oliver lugging the suitcases behind her, as she led them through the airport and out to the designated pick up location outside. Starling City was a little more humid than she was used to and she could practically feel her hair already starting to frizz up. A sleek black town car was sitting on the curb, a tall man in a suit already pulling the door open for them. Thea climbed in and the man walked around back, popping the trunk and helping Oliver load the suitcases. Either this was the fanciest Uber Felicity had ever seen or Oliver's family was more well-off than she'd ever imagined.

He'd said his family was well known, but he hadn't really shared anything more than that. She should have just googled them, but she'd had other things on her mind, and as long as he wasn't a fugitive, she really didn't care who his family was. She was marrying _him_ for a green card, not his family.

Felicity climbed into the car, Oliver following after her a moment later. It took the driver a few minutes to disentangle them from the long lines surrounding the airport, but soon enough they were heading towards the heart of Starling City.

Thea engaged them—mostly Oliver—in small talk for a few minutes, before her phone vibrated and her thumbs started flicking across the screen a mile a minute. Felicity didn't mind. She was relieved to have a few minutes to herself before coming face to face with the rest of Oliver's family. From what she knew, he only had the one sister, but both of his parents were alive and well. He didn't have a great relationship with them though, and that didn't bode well. She might not care who Oliver's family was, but she _was_ going to have the spend the next forty-eight hours in their company. What would they do once they found out Oliver was marrying some woman they'd never met? A woman Oliver apparently thought of as a masochistic dictator.

Oh, she and Oliver were definitely going to have words about that once they were alone!

She leaned her head against the window, looking out at the skyline as they approached the city. Starling really was a mecca of technology. Huge skyscrapers with names like Merlyn Global, Kord Enterprises, and Queen Consolidated rose up in the distance, a collection of some of the biggest tech companies on the west coast all in one place.

Queen…

Felicity spun in her seat suddenly, her ponytail whipping Oliver in the face as she did. He ran a hand over his chin, looking annoyed, but it quickly faded when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Your last name is Queen?" she hissed quietly, then glanced over to make sure Thea was still fixated on her cellphone. Once she was certain the girl couldn't hear them, she added, "As in _Queen_ Consolidated?"

Oliver opened his mouth then closed it, before running a hand over the back of his neck. When he looked up at her it was with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, uh… About that…"

"What the hell, Oliver?" She didn't even know what to begin to think. Oliver was a Queen, AKA one of the wealthiest families on the west coast. AKA the owners of one of the biggest tech companies in the country. AKA the freaking competition! "Are you a corporate spy?"

"What?!" He glanced over at Thea himself, but the twenty year old was still lost in a world of her own, completely oblivious to them. Still, he mouthed for her to shush, then leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "No, of course not."

"That's exactly what a spy _would_ say!" He cocked his head, clearly exasperated, and she shrugged. "Well, then… what?"

It didn't make any sense. He was the heir to one of the largest companies on the west coast. Much larger than Palmer Tech. To be fair, Queen Consolidated was much older and had originally been more into production. They'd had factories all over the country, and it was only in the past decade or so that they'd switched over to the tech sector, creating software and technology for other corporations and even the government. She'd almost taken a job there when she'd first graduated from MIT. The only reason she didn't was because the only position they'd had available was as an IT consultant, which was so far beneath her abilities she'd had to pass, even fresh out of college. It wasn't like she'd been hard up on job offers though. Which wasn't the point. The point was, it made no sense for Oliver to be working as her assistant when he was the son of actual billionaires.

He had to be a spy. Oh god, she was marrying a spy. He was going to get arrested for corporate espionage and she was going to go down with him. Why couldn't he have just been a fugitive?

"Felicity," Oliver said, sliding his hand into hers. She flinched, just slightly, but didn't pull away. "I promise I will explain all of this to you later, okay? Just trust me."

She nodded, but continued silently freaking out as they moved through the city. His hand in hers was solid and warm, but it didn't relieve her anxiety this time. She wasn't sure anything would at this point.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the town car pulled up outside the Queen's mansion, Felicity was exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. She took in the huge, stone estate with an unseeing eye. Oh, she saw the perfectly manicured lawns, surrounded by gardens and lovely wooded areas. Saw, with some amount of awe, the impressive, almost castle-like structure before her, but it was fleeting. Her only substantial thought was which of the many windows belonged to her room.

She'd never been a fan of flying to begin with—it always seemed to leave her groggy—but the flight mixed with the stress of finding out Oliver had been lying to her for years… All she wanted was to crawl under the blankets and stay there for the next forty-eight hours. Oh, but of course she couldn't! Because she was about to go inside the actual castle that was his childhood home and meet his family for the first time to announce their engagement.

What the hell had she been thinking?!

What the hell had _he_ been thinking when he'd agreed to this stupid plan?!

The driver came around back to open the door for them and Thea gracefully slid out of the back seat. Oliver leaned over, ducking his head a little to address his sister.

"Can you give us a minute, Thea?"

Thea smirked, tilting her head to look past him and directly at Felicity. "Not changing your mind, are you?"

Little did the girl know that that was exactly the question Felicity needed to answer. Was this—Oliver's parentage—going to derail this plan of her's? Was it easier to just call it quits now or should see stick it out, despite all of her doubts?

The answer would largely depend on Oliver's explanation.

"We'll be right in," Oliver assured her. He nodded once at the driver, who politely shut the door, giving them a moment of privacy.

As soon as they were alone she turned on him. "What the hell, Oliver?" she hissed, slapping the back of her hand into his bicep.

"Ow." He glared, making a show out of rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry, alright?"

"Why didn't you at least warn me?" she demanded.

"I meant to tell you on the plane, but you wanted to go over the project budget again. And then I was going to tell you on the way here, but Thea ambushed us at the airport."

"Those sound like excuses." Felicity narrowed her eyes. "You've worked for me for how long? You could have mentioned it at some point."

"It never came up," he said with a shrug. "I've been avoiding my past for years and I've done a pretty good job of it up until now." Blowing out a breath, he leaned back into the plush leather seating of the town car. "I like my life now. I like my job. I really didn't want to lose it because of my family's business."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stem a headache. She really needed a nap. "You wouldn't have lost your job, Oliver."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, tilting his head challengingly. "Tell me, _honestly_ , that the board would be okay with your executive assistant being the son of Robert Queen."

Felicity sighed. He was right. If there was one thing the Palmer Tech board of investors _wasn't_ known for it was being understanding. They'd have fired him in a heartbeat, or worse, made her do it.

"Yeah, well," she said, shaking her head, "they're going to be even less thrilled when it turns out their Vice President is Robert Queen's daughter-in-law."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would ever have to know. I wasn't prepared for my boss to volunteer me for marriage." She leveled him with a look that had his shoulders slumping. "Look, we can still keep this between us. My parents aren't exactly bragging to their friends about my position at Palmer Tech. They'll keep our marriage quiet as long as we do."

Felicity took a long, deep breath. That could work. Oliver was clearly estranged from his family, and it wasn't like it was illegal to work for your father's competitor. Maybe she was making way too big a deal about this. It would be fine. They'd spend a quiet weekend with the Queens celebrating Thea's birthday. She'd keep out of the public eye while she was here and they'd head back to Central City on Sunday to get married by a justice of the peace.

It would be fine.

"Okay," she said, feeling calmer now that they'd talked. "I guess we need to go inside now, huh?"

Oliver smiled. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure Thea will come looking for us soon if we don't."

Felicity bit her lip, looking back towards the mansion. "I wish I could take a nap first."

"Me, too," he sighed, opening the door. "But if we get it over with now it'll be easier. Like ripping off a band aid."

Felicity groaned, but allowed him to help her from the car. The mansion really was lovely and under any other circumstance she'd probably love to spend a quiet weekend here. Swinging open the solid oak door, Oliver led them into a large foyer. She took in the marble floors and the staircases—one on each side of the entrance, twisting up to the second floor. It looked more like a hotel than a home.

A woman in a housekeeper's uniform entered the room, her face splitting into a large grin when she saw them. Or, saw Oliver, more accurately. "Mr. Oliver!" she exclaimed, rushing over to give him a hug.

Oliver laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "It's good to see you, Raisa."

"It's been too long. You should come home more often," she clucked.

He smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek before pulling back. "Where is everyone?"

"They're in the sitting room, waiting for you." Finally she turned to Felicity, her eye appraising, though not unkind. "Who is your friend, Oliver?"

"This is Felicity," he replied, his hand belatedly shooting to the small of her back. "My fiancée."

Felicity's hands twitched at the title, but she managed to put on her best smile. Raisa's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between them, eventually settling on Felicity.

"Another reason he should come home more often," she teased, reaching for Felicity's hands. She took them both in hers, squeezing affectionately. "It is nice to meet you, Ms. Felicity."

"You, too," she said, her nerves lessening just a touch at the warm reception.

"Oliver, sweetheart?"

Felicity turned to see a woman coming from a room to the right. She was somehow both charming and intimidating with her honeyed voice and glowing smile.

"Thea said you brought a friend," she said, pulling him in for a hug and kissing his cheek, before turning to Felicity. "I'm Moira Queen."

"Mom," Oliver said. "This is Felicity Smoak."

"Hi," Felicity said, trying to remember the last time she'd met someone's parents. Had she been this nervous then? "Oliver's told me so much about you."

At least, he'd mentioned quite a few times how overbearing his mother could be. That counted, right?

Moira smiled politely, if not as warmly as she had at her son. "Everyone's in the sitting room. Why don't we head in so you can say hello?"

Oliver took her hand, nearly startling her, but she was glad for the support as they walked into the sitting room. There weren't many people waiting. Just Thea sitting on the sofa with an older man that Felicity recognized immediately as Robert Queen, and a younger man with dark hair and a wide smile standing beside them.

"Ollie," the younger man crowed, rushing over to embrace Oliver. Felicity had to quickly step back to avoid getting in the way. "It's been too long."

"Tommy," Oliver laughed, patting the man on the back. "You were in Central City, like, two months ago."

"Yes, I was," he agreed, his eyes skating over Felicity as he pulled back. "So why wasn't I introduced to your enchanting friend here?"

Oliver shook his head. "This is Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is my best friend, Tommy Merlyn."

Tommy grinned, his eyes playfully raking her figure. "Now I understand why he refuses to leave Central City."

It was a cheesy line, but something about Tommy's overdone charm set Felicity at ease and the last vestiges of nerves faded. "Now I understand why he never introduced us," she said with a smirk.

Tommy grinned in delight, probably unused to women not falling for his charms.

"I'm Robert Queen," the older man said, standing from the sofa. He approached with a grin, reaching out to shake her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ms. Smoak. I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh," Felicity said, shooting Oliver a teasing smile. "All good things I hope."

She hadn't forgotten what he'd said about her to his sister. _Masochistic dictator_ , she believed was the term. She wasn't about to let him live that down.

"From colleagues," Robert corrected. "You've been doing excellent work at Palmer Tech. Ted Kord speaks highly of you."

"Oh." She tried to temper her blush, but it was nearly impossible. Robert Queen was a giant in the industry and he'd heard of _her_. She just hoped she wasn't grinning like a total dork.

"So what brings you to Starling?" he asked. "Is it too much to hope you're in the market for a new job?"

Over Robert's shoulder, Thea smirked, settling into the couch to watch the show. Moira stepped over, smiling as she wrapped her fingers around Robert's arm, her wedding ring glistening in the light from the windows. Felicity's nerves fluttered back to life.

Oliver took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before he said, "Mom, Dad. We have some news."

Moira's smile tightened. Tommy's head cocked to the side. Clearly Thea hadn't spilled the beans. It probably would have been easier if she had.

"We're…" Oliver paused, looking down at her. All of her fears and anxiety were reflecting back at her from his eyes, and she reached out instinctively, taking his hand. His lips twitched, the ghost of a smile pulling them up at the corners, before he looked back at his parents. "We're getting married."

Robert huffed, but smiled. It was… not exactly happy, but it wasn't unhappy either. Felicity didn't quite know how to judge what the older man was feeling. "I suppose that's the best news we could have hoped for," he said, clapping his son on the back.

Oliver smiled stiffly at his father's vaguely insulting form of congratulations, then turned to his mother. Felicity had little problem determining what she was feeling. Moira looked deflated, her shoulders slumped, her smile thin.

"Congratulations," she said, her tone too polite to be genuine. Not that Felicity needed anyone to feel happy about this marriage. She herself wasn't very happy about it, but Oliver's stiff posture and weak smile made her wish his parents could at least pretend to be happy for him. After all, they didn't know the marriage was a ruse.

"Well," Thea said, hopping up from the sofa, "I, for one, could not be happier. We could use another woman around here."

"Congratulations, buddy," Tommy said, slapping Oliver on the back, before turning to Felicity and sweeping her into a hug. She was almost startled by the fervor of his embrace, but she was glad to know she'd been right in her assessment of him. He was good people, and a good friend. When he pulled back he went on, cutting through the awkward tension in the air, "So how'd you meet? How'd he propose? Tell us everything."

Robert and Moira stepped back, murmuring to one another. It made Felicity nervous, but she was quickly distracted when Thea stepped up beside Tommy, waiting for her to tell the story of how she and Oliver met. The two of them looked so much alike—both with their dark features and eager smiles—that they could be siblings.

After a quick glance at Oliver, Felicity explained that they worked together at Palmer Tech. Oliver chimed in, telling them the same story they'd told the man from Immigration. They'd met at work, fallen in love, and he'd proposed.

"That's it?" Tommy asked, sounding personally offended that they didn't have a more interesting story. "You just… asked her?"

Oliver laughed. "How else would you suggest?"

"You have to be romantic!" Thea exclaimed. "Take her to a nice restaurant and have them hide the ring in the dessert!"

"Or the champagne glass," Tommy added.

"It was fine," Felicity said, laughing off their suggestions.

Thea rolled her eyes. "Fine is not how you should describe your proposal."

"Remind me not to come to you guys for suggestions when it's my turn," Tommy said.

Thea's eyes dipped briefly to Felicity's hand. "So where's the ring? I noticed you didn't have one" —she glanced at Oliver— "and you didn't ask Mom for Grandma's so…?"

"It was kind of spur of the moment," Oliver said with a shrug.

"But you said you proposed in March! You still haven't gotten her a ring?"

Oliver opened his mouth, then closed it, and glanced down at Felicity for help, just as Moira stepped back into the room, followed by Raisa with a tray of champagne flutes. Felicity hadn't even realized that Moira had left.

"We'll make sure she has a ring befitting of a Queen," she said, handing both Oliver and Felicity flutes, before taking one for herself.

Robert raised his glass in the air once everyone had one. "To Oliver and Felicity," was all he said, before taking a sip.

It was, without a doubt, one of the most awkward situations Felicity had ever gotten herself into, and that was saying something. If it weren't for Thea and Tommy she'd seriously be considering deportation as the preferable option.

No sooner had she thought that, then Thea grabbed a pen sitting beside a stack of books on the table and used it to clink her champagne glass.

"Kiss!"

"Thea," Oliver sighed.

"Oh, come on, Ollie. Kiss her!"

When neither of them made a move to do as she suggested, Thea took Felicity's arm and turned her to face Oliver. She looked up to see he was already watching her with a somber expression. He looked calm, maybe even a little amused—on the surface—but Felicity could see the tension in the way he held himself. She could see it in his eyes as they flicked over her face, measuring her reaction to his sister's demand.

Felicity shrugged, trying to keep any reluctance she might have felt off her face. She didn't need Oliver's family wondering why she freaked out about a tiny kiss. And that was all it had to be, right? Just a peck on the lips.

It took everything in her to push down her nerves and shoot him a small, imploring smile. Her way of asking him to just do it. She nearly jumped when his free hand settled on her waist. He was a perfect gentleman, but his fingertips felt scalding, even through her blouse. Though, she was so worked up right now even Thea's hand, still on her elbow, was overwhelming.

Oliver leaned forward, stopping just as his nose brushed hers. His warm breath skated over her cheek, but he left a few inches between them, waiting for her to meet him halfway. She pushed up on her toes, pressing her lips against his for a moment before pulling back.

There. That wasn't so bad. She'd barely even felt it. Both of their lips were chapped from the flight, and, if her lips tingled just slightly where they'd brushed his, that was to be expected.

"Boo!" Tommy cried, and Felicity turned to see him grinning at them. "You call that a kiss? What happened? You used to actually have game, Ollie!"

"Yeah," Thea agreed, and Felicity noticed that the girl had moved back over by Tommy at some point without her noticing. "That was weak. Give us a real kiss!"

Felicity looked back at Oliver just in time to see him roll his eyes, then he was leaning back in. It was so fast, she didn't have time to brace herself. His arms wrapped around her waist, not the gentle way he had before, but full on encircling her waist and tugging her into his chest. She nearly yelped, but he cut her off, his lips descending on hers and stealing her breath. There was a moment where everything stopped, and all she could do was feel. His lips, urging hers to move with them. His strong arms, banded around her back. His chest, warm and solid against hers. She melted, her back arching, free hand flying to his shirt to give her something to grab onto.

He pressed one last kiss against her lips, one she eagerly leaned into, before pulling back. Just enough to rest his nose against hers as they breathed each other's air. Her hand tangled tighter in his shirt and braced herself to push up again, to meet his lips one more time, but a loud _woot!_ pulled her out of the haze of Oliver's kiss and back to his parents living room where they were pretending like that wasn't their first kiss.

Once she was able to clear her head a little, she was pleased to note that Oliver looked just as dazed as she felt. He blinked a few times, before finally he pulled back and putting way more space between them than was probably appropriate. Not that anyone seemed to notice. Thea was actually in the middle of giving them a slow clap.

"Damn, big brother. I think you just got her pregnant."

Oliver's ears went bright red, and if Felicity hadn't been so embarrassed herself, she might have laughed at him too. Instead she chugged her champagne, ignoring the way the bubbles made her want to sneeze.

"I apologize for those two," Moira said. "Thea and Tommy can be… a bit much when they get together."

"I can be a bit much all on my own, thank you very much." Tommy grinned.

Moira's lips flattened out into a thin line and she shot him an exasperated look, before turning back to Oliver. "Why don't you bring your… _fiancée_ … up to your room, and let her get settled in, Oliver. She probably wants to freshen up before dinner."

The words sounded innocuous enough, but Felicity had a gut feeling that they were meant as an insult. Really, though, she'd take any excuse to get herself out of the spotlight right now, even going upstairs to Oliver's room, so she wasn't about to complain.

Oliver sighed in what Felicity was pretty sure was relief, turning to take her glass and set it beside his on the table. They said their goodbyes quickly, then she let him guide her from the room, one hand on the small of her back.

"Well, I like her," she heard Tommy laugh as they made their way through the foyer to the staircase. She tried not to wonder if he was just announcing his own opinion or replying to someone else's.


	6. Chapter 6

Oliver silently led her upstairs to his bedroom. It was a long, awkward walk, but Felicity was too jittery to try to make conversation herself.

She'd just kissed her assistant. And, yeah, sure. She was the one who decided to marry him for a green card, but that was a more theoretical concept. It wasn't real. It hadn't been real until she'd felt his lips close over hers, soft but insistent and leaving her dazed in front of his entire family. She hadn't had a kiss like that in years. Oh, who was she kidding. She hadn't ever had a kiss like that. She couldn't seem to stop running the tip of her tongue over her lips in an attempt to chase away the tingles Oliver had left behind.

"Here it is," Oliver said, opening a door and she hurried inside, careful not to bump into him.

It was a large room, bigger than any bedroom Felicity had ever seen before. It was nearly as big as Felicity's entire apartment. And, of course, there was only one bed. She'd known there would be, but she'd been trying not to think too hard about what their sleeping situation would look like. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it. She turned, noticing an open door that led to, what she assumed was, the bathroom. She pushed the door wider, flicking on the lights.

"Wow," she said, spinning on her heel to take in the space. "I think I saw this place on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous once."

Oliver paid her no mind, just rolled his eyes, then moved across the room to a bar cart that sat near a gorgeous bay window. He poured two glasses of what was probably very expensive whiskey, handing one to her.

"Sorry. No tequila," he said, avoiding her eyes. Or maybe she was avoiding his.

She hated whiskey. That didn't stop her from practically guzzling half the glass. The bite of it slid down the back of her throat, but she was just glad to have a distraction from the tingling in her lips. Oliver, meanwhile, was sipping his drink casually, like a normal human being.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Felicity said, over the rim of her glass. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Oliver watched her for a long, uncomfortable moment; eyebrows raised, lips pursed in a half amused, half irritated smirk. "We just kissed, Felicity," he informed her as if she wasn't already extremely aware. "I thought maybe you might have some feelings about that."

Sighing, she brought her other hand up, fingering the glass as she turned towards the bed. "If my feelings are it was awkward and I'd rather not talk about it, then yeah."

His eyes ran over her, and, even facing away from him, she couldn't help but feel he was seeing more than she was comfortable with. "Well," he said eventually. "You really sold it, at least. Pretty sure my family won't have any suspicions after that."

"Good," she said, taking another sip of whiskey before setting it down on the nightstand. "Maybe we won't have to do it again." Her eyes widened when she realized what she'd said and she whipped around to face him. "Kiss! I meant kiss, not _it_ , like… you know."

He grinned at her accidental innuendo, but otherwise left it alone. "We'll probably have to kiss occasionally. Married people do that sometimes."

"I know that," she snapped, her frustration with herself rising. Because she really hadn't thought this plan through. She hadn't given herself the time, the board hadn't. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. This is just… it's a lot."

"It was your idea." It wasn't judgmental or anything, but Felicity still felt embarrassment rush through her veins, tinting her cheeks, at his words.

"Your parents clearly don't like me," she said, hanging her head.

"That's not true." She looked up to see him move towards her. He sat on the edge of the bed, then patted the space beside him. She hesitated, but eventually joined him. "My dad likes you," he went on. "It's me he's not a fan of."

Felicity snorted. "I noticed that."

Oliver sighed and looked down at his hands. He rubbed his finger and thumb together, a nervous tick she'd noticed back when they first began working together.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he said, with a small shake of his head. "My mom, though." He glanced up at her, a tiny smirk lifting the corner of his lips. "My mom doesn't like you."

Felicity glared. "Yeah, I noticed that, too."

He laughed, and some of the tension dissipated. Enough that Felicity felt more like herself.

"Don't worry, she doesn't like anybody. And I'm pretty sure she's mostly mad at me for not introducing you sooner. And for not coming home more often. And for not keeping in touch more." He shrugged. "She'll be alright once you get to know her."

"Yeah, except for the fact that I'm literally using her son for a green card. She's going to hate me for eternity. Even after we're divorced."

He grinned. "Probably."

"That is not helpful, Oliver," she said, swatting his shoulder.

"Tommy and Thea like you, at least. As long as you have their approval my mom will come around. Besides, you won't have to see her much after this weekend."

She sighed, falling back on the bed. "I didn't think this plan through, did I?"

"You really didn't," he teased, "but it's too late now. We have to make the best of it. And that will mean making nice with my parents for the weekend and occasionally having to kiss one another."

"Ugh," she groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes.

" _Ugh_?" Oliver repeated incredulously. The bed dipped next to her and she looked over to see him leaning back on one arm beside her. "You thought that kiss was _ugh_?"

"I mean, if the circumstances had been different and you weren't my assistant and hadn't kissed me in front of your entire family then... maybe it would have been better." She did her best to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks and the fact that she was lying through her teeth. That kiss had been anything but _ugh_. The fact that she would be expected to kiss him again without completely embarrassing herself was the part she wasn't happy about.

Oliver just smirked down at her like he could see right through her lies. That's when she realized the position they were in; her lying on her back across his bed with him leaning down beside her, nearly hovering over her. His smirk faded and she guessed he was realizing it, too. He'd just started to sit up when there was a knock on the door and Thea's muffled voice broke the silence.

"Ollie, Mom says dinner's at six. Do you guys want to hang with me and Tommy till then or are you _too busy_?"

Felicity could hear the innuendo in Thea's tone and it honestly just made things so much worse.

"You should go," she said, sitting up and putting some distance between them.

"Are you sure?" Oliver's expression was wary, but she could tell he wanted to go. She was suddenly aware that he hadn't seen his sister in a while and it was, at the very least, partially her fault for not allowing him more time off.

"Yeah," she said waving him off. "I still have a bunch of paperwork to go over before Monday. Go on, tell them I'm tired or something. I'll be down in time for dinner."

He nodded and stood up, but said, "I can stay and help if you need me—"

"Oliver, go," she said, hopping up and walking over to her suitcase which someone had oh so helpfully left beside the closet door. "Hang out with your sister while you can, because I'm probably going to keep you pretty busy for the rest of the night."

It took her a moment to register what she said, and once she did she slammed her eyes shut. She always managed to find the very worst way to say things, but somehow she was still mortified every single time. She turned just in time to catch Oliver's amused smile before he turned for the door.

"I'll be back up to get you for dinner that way you don't forget and starve."

She scoffed as he left, just as a matter of principle, but he wasn't exactly wrong. On a good day she could get lost in her work for hours. Today she was trying decide if she could get away with burying herself in it for the rest of the weekend.


	7. Chapter 7

True to his word, Oliver came back to find her, face buried in her laptop, at twenty to six.

"Okay, okay, just let me save," turned into another ten minutes of work, before he was finally able to pry her away from the screen and push her into the bathroom to freshen up. It wasn't until she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and saw the way her hair had fallen out of its usually smooth ponytail, that she realized she probably could have used the extra time preparing to see his family again. She'd figured putting it off longer was better, but now… Maybe she could fake a cold or something and get out of this whole weekend.

"Are you almost ready?" Oliver asked from right outside the bathroom door. She didn't answer right away, busying herself with fixing her lipstick. It wasn't much in the way of armor against the steely Moira Queen, but Oliver's mother seemed the kind to pounce like a lion on a lamb on anyone less than perfect. Or maybe that was just Felicity's nerves getting the best of her again. A deep sigh penetrated the wooden door and then, "It's just dinner, Felicity. You have to eat."

She pulled the door open slowly, shooting him a contrite look. "The human body can survive nearly three weeks without food. As long as I have water"—she gestured toward the sink behind her—"I'll be fine for a couple of days."

The look he gave her was the look he _always_ gave her when she was being a smartass. One eyebrow raised, lips pursed, head tilted just slightly as if he found her both amusing and vexing at the same time. "Felicity…"

"It's weird hearing you call me by my first name."

The look vanished instantly, confusion marring his features and furrowing his brow. "I've called you Felicity before."

"Yeah, but not this often. And it's usually only when you're being all serious and stubborn."

"No," he argued, "it's usually only when _you're_ being stubborn. Besides you're acting like I'm taking you down to be executed. It's just a family dinner."

"A family dinner with people who hate me."

"They don't hate you," he said, waving her off. "Thea was grilling me about you all day. She wants to make a good impression. Tommy, too. My mom… will come around. She's not so bad. And my dad will probably spend the rest of the weekend trying to steal you away from Palmer, so there's really no reason for you to go on a hunger strike in my bedroom."

She huffed, fighting back the waves of anxiety telling her to stay where she was. But, if she did that, she knew it would only be harder to face them tomorrow. Oliver was right. Ugh, she hated it when Oliver was right.

"Fine," she drawled, stepping out of the bathroom. "Let's go."

Oliver shot her the tiniest of smiles before holding out his arm. It took her a moment to realize he meant for her to thread her arm through it.

"I'm marrying a gentleman," she said, hooking their arms together.

"Of course. You really think I grew up with my mother and didn't learn some basic manners?"

She laughed and together they walked downstairs to the large, formal dining room where his father was already waiting, a glass of something amber in his hand.

"Where's Mom and Thea?" Oliver asked, his tone overly polite. She could feel how tense his body had gotten at the sight of his father, but he was trying to keep things light.

"Your mother is with Raisa, doing God knows what. It's not like that woman has ever cooked a day in her life."

"That's not true," Thea said, skipping into the room with Tommy on her heels. "When I was in second grade she volunteered to be class mother and had to make snacks for the school picnic. She made cupcakes."

"Hate to tell you this, kiddo," Robert said with a warm smile that was jarring compared to how he'd just been speaking with his son, "but your mother used to ship those cupcakes in from a bakery in Central City so none of the other mothers would know she didn't make them herself."

"What?" Thea cried, disbelief merging with amusement at this new information. "She did not!"

"She did." Robert looked past Thea, his gaze settling on the doorway behind her, and Felicity turned to see Moira enter the room. "Honey, what was the name of that bakery in Central City?"

Moira hesitated a moment, either caught off guard by her husband's question or annoyed by it. Felicity couldn't quite tell. Still, Moira gave a small, if strained, smile. "DeLuca's."

"Oh my god." Thea giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "That is hilarious."

"I love DeLuca's," Felicity said. "I used them to cater my friend Caitlin's birthday party earlier this year."

"I thought those cupcakes tasted familiar," Oliver murmured from beside her.

She smiled up at him, remembering how he'd rolled his eyes when she'd sent him off on a mission to put together a last minute office party after Caitlin's birthday plans had been cancelled for the sake of a project they'd been working on.

"Dinner is ready," Moira said, pulling her back to the moment. "No reason to let it get cold."

Oliver placed a hand on Felicity's lower back, leading her to a chair at the far end of the table. The dining room was set exquisitely and Felicity wasn't sure if Moira had made it up special for them or if it just always looked like this. The china was white and gold, but very classy. Expensive without being overly gaudy. Oliver pulled out her seat for her before taking his own beside her.

Within moments Raisa and another woman dressed in a matching uniform entered the room, balancing platters of food. It all smelled delicious and Felicity wanted to dig in the moment it was within arms reach, but wasn't sure what the etiquette was. Did they say a prayer before meals? Felicity never had before, but she really knew nothing about Oliver or his family traditions. Maybe they were very religious. But then Oliver and Thea started filling their plates and reaching for the condiments so Felicity took that as leave to stuff her face. She was surprisingly hungry for someone who'd been considering a hunger strike just ten minutes ago.

Moira started off the conversation with some small talk. She mostly kept to her children, but occasionally peppered in a question for Felicity.

" _Are you enjoying your meal_?"

" _Feeling better after your na_ p?"

Nothing deep or even interesting, but Felicity was thankful for that. She really didn't want to have to answer any personal questions. But, of course, her luck could only last so long. She was halfway through dinner when Thea couldn't hold in her curiosity any longer.

"So, when did you fall in love with my dork of a brother?" she asked, spearing a green bean with her fork. Her eyes were bright and excited, despite trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh, you know, just at work."

"No." Thea shook her head. "That's what you said before. I want details!"

Felicity tensed, feeling her face grow red as she tried to think of an answer.

"We were working on the second generation Palmer Watch," Oliver said and Felicity looked over to see him concentrating on his dinner, moving his potatoes around on the plate. "It was our first big project working together. We stayed late, like, three months in a row. I hated it at first." He glanced up, eyes meeting hers, and dropped his fork. "She's a total workaholic. The kind that doesn't realize that not everyone's life revolves around work."

Felicity felt her face heat again, her chest pulling tight at the accusation. She hadn't realized he had such a problem with it. She knew he didn't love all the late nights and weekends, but she'd thought all his gruffing was mostly just complaining for complaining's sake.

"But then," he went on, reaching over to take her hand in his, "one night I walked into her office. It was late, like, nearly 10 o'clock." He smiled, almost to himself. "She was chewing on a red pen, completely oblivious to the time and the fact that we were the only two people still in the building. But when she noticed me she looked up and… I just realized. At some point, I'd stopped hating staying late, because it meant I got to spend more time with her."

It was difficult to breathe suddenly, but somehow Felicity managed a smile as Thea _ooh'd_ and _awe'd_ over her brother's story.

It had slipped off his tongue so surely. As if he hadn't even had to think about it. But that story couldn't have been true. No, it was far more likely Oliver was just an exceptional liar. After all, he'd been lying to her about who he was since she'd met him. But it was a good story. Subtle and romantic and plausible. Still… her mind was reeling from it and she focused on finishing the remainder of her meal.

"Oliver," Moira cut in, changing the subject, and Felicity could have kissed her if, you know, she wasn't so terrifying. "I was having lunch with Cindy Bowen just the other day and she mentioned your old friend Carter."

"Wouldn't call him a friend," Oliver murmured, causing Tommy to snicker. Thea smirked, but hid it behind her glass of water.

Moira continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "Carter is a doctor now. He's just published some very interesting work in cancer research. Cindy is so proud. You should give him a call while you're in town. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

"Felicity and I are actually in the middle of a big project right now," he said. "We wanted to be here for Thea's party, but we do have quite a bit of work—"

Robert snorted and Oliver went dead silent, turning to his father.

"What?" he asked, looking ready for a fight. Felicity could practically feel the tension coming off of him in waves.

Robert shrugged, placing his fork down. "You're a secretary. What work could you possibly be doing? Sorting emails?"

Felicity eyes went wide and she met Thea's across from her. The girl was grimacing.

"I'm an executive assistant," Oliver gritted through his teeth. "I do a lot more than sort emails, Dad."

Robert scoffed. "Your mother tells people you're galavanting across Europe. It's less embarrassing for her."

"Robert!" Moira gasped.

"It's true."

The table settled into an awkward silence and, even as used to awkward interactions as Felicity was, this one took the cake. Beside her, Oliver sat frozen, his face twisted in anger and mortification. Moira did nothing to deny Robert's comment, and that seemed to be Oliver's last straw. He stood, throwing his napkin onto his plate, and left without another word.

Tommy looked after his friend, while Thea kept her eyes on her plate. Moira glared at her husband, but Robert looked unperturbed, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, it is true," he said.

Felicity had half a mind to tell Robert Queen just what she thought of him, but hesitated. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and make everything even worse for Oliver, which, knowing her, she was very likely to do. So, instead, she excused herself and headed back up to their room.

She found him sitting on the bed, head hung low, back to the door. Seeing him sitting there like that, she wished she had laid into his father downstairs. Maybe she should go back down and—

"They kicked me out."

Felicity flinched at his words. She hadn't realized he'd noticed her come in. She closed the door behind her and stepped closer to the bed.

"What?"

"My parents," he said, his shoulders rising and falling on a deep sigh. "You wanted to know how I started working for Palmer Tech. My parents kicked me out. Cut me off. Or else I probably _would_ have been running around Europe somewhere right now."

Felicity wanted to comfort him, but stayed quiet, afraid that if she spoke he'd shut down. Even so, she couldn't help but close the distance between them in an effort to let him know she was there. That she was listening.

"I was exactly what you'd expect from the spoiled son of billionaires. Self centered, lazy, privileged. Even after they cut me off I lived off friends and favors for a long time. Then the little money I had dried up, favors ran out. I applied to a few colleges—I'd already dropped out of four at that point—thinking maybe my parents would give in if I made an effort, but they didn't. I don't blame them. It was what I needed then. When I got accepted into CCU I didn't really have any reason not to go, so I changed my last name to Dearden and decided to start fresh somewhere new. I rented a room from this couple, the Yamashiro's, and worked at Jitters part time. The wife, Tatsu, got so sick of me being late on the rent that she actually found me a paid internship at Palmer Tech, which led to a job as an assistant. And I was pretty good at it. Answering phones, schmoozing with people. Then I got transferred from the PR department to Applied Science and got to actually work on projects." He sat up, straightening his shoulders, and met her gaze. "I'm proud of what I do. What _we_ do. My parents can be embarrassed that I'm not a doctor like Carter Bowen is, but some of the projects that cross my desk… Felicity, if we could implement even a quarter of them we could change the world."

"I know," she said, reaching out to cup his shoulder.

"I know I'm just your assistant. It's not the same as what you or the engineers and techs do—"

"Oliver," she breathed, cutting him off. "Without you I'd be lost under a pile of paperwork. And you might not be an engineer or tech, but I've seen you talk to the board. I've seen you schmooze," she teased with a grin. "You've probably sold more ideas than I have. I've always thought your talents were wasted as an assistant."

Oliver looked at her, his brow furrowed. "You have?"

"Of course," she said with a shake of her head. "You just… have _it_."

" _It_?"

"Yeah, _it_." She smiled. "You know, something about you. You win people over."

His face softened. "No, that's you."

"You make me look good," she said, shaking off the compliment. She needed him to know that he was just as important to the company and just as good at his job.

Oliver smiled. "I think you look good all on your own."

She snorted. "Did you just pull a me?"

But Oliver didn't look embarrassed by his slip. He watched her for a long moment. Long enough that heat began to fill Felicity's cheeks. She was just about to open her mouth to say God only knows what, when Oliver's phone chimed with a text message. He sighed, slowly pulling his gaze from her while sliding his phone from his pocket. The moment his eyes left her Felicity felt like she'd just resurfaced after a long dive. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

"It's from Tommy," he said, reading the message. "He wants to go get a drink."

"Sounds like a good idea. It couldn't hurt to get out of the house for awhile."

He shook his head, rising to stand beside her. "I can't leave you with all this work. Despite what my dad thinks, I do know how much I contribute."

"Oh," Felicity said with a smirk, "was I not invited?"

Oliver's mouth dropped open for a moment, his brows furrowing, before his lips twisted up into a surprised smile. "You want to go with us?"

She shrugged, moving to grab a jacket and her bag. "Well, seeing as how I have to put up with all of your weird family drama…" She turned back to him with a smile. "I think I deserve a drink."

Oliver's smile grew wider at her teasing, and something in her chest fluttered at being able to make him smile like that after everything. He rounded the bed, pocketing his phone and grabbing his wallet off the nightstand.

"Hell, you might even deserve two," he teased back, holding the door open for her. They were on the stairs, heading down to meet Tommy, when he caught her arm. "Oh, and Felicity?"

"Yeah?" She turned to look back at him curiously and nearly tumbled backwards at how close he was. She might have, had he not had a grip on her elbow.

He leaned in, ever so slightly. "I meant what I said."

It was soft—a whisper, really—but those five little words felt anything but as she struggled to process them. Of course, he didn't hang around as she stood there, mouth agape, probably looking like some sort of deranged fish. He had already turned, skipping down the stairs two at a time on his way to meet his best friend. It took Felicity another moment—and a deep breath—before she managed to follow after him.

 _Note to self_ , she thought as she made her way to the door where Oliver and Tommy were waiting. _Flirty Oliver is a hazard to my health_.


End file.
